Tuesday, February 28, 2023

It is the 28th of February 2023 Welcome to the Christian History Almanac brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org, I’m Dan van Voorhis.

On yesterday’s show, we talked a little about the revival history in light of the events at Asbury. And while that particular word is largely an American term, the idea is older than in the United States. Today we will head to Scotland to look at something like a revival- the strengthening of the Presbyterian church vis a vis the Anglican Church and the signing of the National Covenant of 1638 on this, the 28th of February in 1638.

Let’s do some context: first, the English church (the Anglican Church, now in America called the Episcopal church) had been established since Henry VIII’s break from the Catholic church in the 16th century. The Book of Common Prayer and the 39 Articles would be the confession of the Anglican Church- a Protestant confession that also recognized the English monarch as the head of the Anglican church.

With the death of Elizabeth I, James VI of Scotland became James I of England, and the Scottish King was now king of Great Britain. He was keen to keep the peace in the British Isles and with Europe. It was assumed his son, Henry, would assume the throne at his death and keep the same pacific disposition. But Henry died, and James's son Charles took the throne. Unlike his father James, who was a convinced Presbyterian, Charles sought to unify all of the British Isles under Anglicanism (after all, he was the head of the church under the Anglican doctrine, whereas, under Presbyterianism, he was just the head of state).

Charles would attempt to enforce the Book of Common Prayer and the Book of Canons. This new document abolished the presbyterian form of church government in favor of bishops (under Presbyterianism, the church was ruled by Elders and a national assembly rather than the crown and bishops).

Things came to a head in 1637 when the dean of St. Giles church in Edinburgh read from the prescribed prayers. A woman, Jenny Geddes, who had been sitting on a stool (perhaps holding a space for her patron) heard the beginning of the prayer and is said to have shouted, “Devil cause you colic, false thief: dare you say the Mass in my ear?” She then allegedly threw the stool at the dean, and a riot ensued.

But a riot was not the revival the Scottish Presbyterians wanted- instead, they renewed what they called a “covenant”- a solemn vow between the people and God to usher in a time of repentance. This was a practice amongst the Israelites, and the Scots would use similar language (covenant and vow instead of revival or reformation).

The National Covenant would consist of the King's Confession of 1581 (this was from King James VI when he was King of Scotland that repudiated Roman Catholicism). The National Covenant would then reaffirm the Protestant and Presbyterian nature of the Church of Scotland. The document was sent out amongst nobles and clergy and then eventually to the Scottish people- to sign it was to claim that Jesus alone was the head of the church, not the monarch. It served to unify the Scots in religion and as a popular symbol of Scottish unity. Scottish Presbyterianism would become the norm and, in the coming centuries, would be exported to the rest of the world- including America, where it was perceived as a church that threaded the needle between Roman Catholicism and Radicalism.

Charles wasn’t pleased with this, but he would need Parliament to do anything- something he had not called on account of his unpopularity. He eventually called Parliament but that would lead to his beheading, the English Civil War, and the rule of Oliver Cromwell before the Restoration under Charles II. And this began with an assertion of Scottish ecclesiastical independence, national revival, and the signing of the National Covenant on this the 28th of February in 1638.

The last word for today comes from the daily lectionary- From Hebrews 14:

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 28th of February 2023, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who also once had a stool thrown at him during a service- he tried using an alternate tune to This is the Feast- he is Christoper Gillespie

The show is written and read by a man hoping the new Charles III has a happier time than those earlier Chuck’s- I’m Dan van Voorhis

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.